Mercenaries of Fortune
by BlackTyrantValvatorez
Summary: Just what is Ghost Force 969? And why is The Reaper staying in Inaba?
1. Chapter 1

Inaba, Central Shopping District South, May 23rd, 2009, 23:15 local time.

Enforcer was busy watching the entrance of the Tofu Shop from a rooftop, his eyes squinting down and focusing through the Holographic Sight on his ACR six-point-eight. It was a useful weapon for the mercenary as its 6.8 mm Remington Special Purpose Cartridge was cheap to produce and buy. The ACR 6.8 itself was also produced on-site at the Headquarters of his mercenary group, Ghost Force 969. The group's headquarters was set up in the coldest part of Siberia, where temperatures reached as low as negative sixty-eight degrees Celsius.

Enforcer knew what was going on right now. Apparently shadows had been sighted in the vicinity an hour before and during the Dark Hour, which came right at 00:00 local time, and randomly preyed on any humans who were not asleep. The Marukyu Tofu Shop was at risk because an old lady maintained the place and there was no doubt that the shadows would attack if they sensed that she was awake. According to information obtained from a friendly contact in the area, the shadows tended to be super-active whenever a full moon appeared in the sky. Right now, there was no moon in the sky, something that was known as a new moon.

Suddenly, at 23:35, Enforcer spotted a few shadows that had wandered into his vision. He fired on them, taking them down quickly since previous encounters with shadows proved that they were vulnerable to 6.8 Remington rounds. More shadows did not appear before the time was 23:55, at which point a large group of them tried to break into the shop as Enforcer took them down. Thankfully they couldn't break through since any shadows that got close enough to attack the entrance got taken out first. When the last one fell, it was 23:59.

Ghost Force HQ: "Be advised, Enforcer, the Dark Hour is approaching."

Enforcer: "Understood."

Suddenly the time on Enforcer's watch read 0:00. The Dark Hour had come. The sky, moon, and buildings of the town assumed a sickly green color while a few puddles of water nearby turned crimson. Enforcer turned around and saw a massive shadow approaching him.

Enforcer: "Enforcer to HQ, a large one's been sighted. It's a New Moon Shadow."

Ghost Force HQ: "This is the same New Moon Shadow that we observed back in Azerbaijan. How did it follow us here to Japan?"

?: "I don't know, but whatever that New Moon Shadow's motives are right now, it isn't interested in the tofu shop owner. She must've went to sleep around 120 to ten seconds before the Dark Hour came. We should follow that shadow, and figure out why it's here."

Enforcer: "Agreed. Aiko, you're with me and Tunazu. We're going after that shadow."

Aiko: "Understood."

Ghost Force HQ: "Be advised, the Inaba Police Department will not be able to assist you. They've already retreated into their coffins like every other human that's asleep."

Enforcer: "Understood."

The New Moon Shadow suddenly took off in a random direction and Enforcer followed it, jumping off the rooftop he was on and descending to street level to pursue it. After about ten minutes, it moved in yet another direction.

Ghost Force HQ: "That Shadow's heading straight for the Amagi Inn. Stop that thing!"

Aiko: "Already on it."

Enforcer: "Understood."

As the Shadow slowed down, Enforcer managed to get close to it and noticed its body shape was similar to a Wyvern. Taking aim at it, Enforcer manages to nail its wings with a few bullets and send it crashing to the ground.  
Aiko then arrives and fires an entire clip into the mask that the Shadow had, killing it.

Akio: "Well, that was a job well done."

Enforcer: "Yep. HQ, the New Moon Shadow has been neutralized. Orders?"

Ghost Force HQ: "Come on home, boys. This mission is over."

Aiko: "I have a feeling that this isn't the last time that we'll face the New Moon Shadows."

Enforcer then noticed a glowing object on the dead Shadow. He picked it up and it turned out to be a piece of paper that held something.

* * *

Ghost Force 969 Japanese Branch Headquarters, the Dark Hour local time.

Enforcer: "Any idea on what that things was?"

Tunazu: "Yeah. It's a prophecy of something."

Enforcer: "Does this prophecy have anything to do with that craziness about the Fall?"

Tunazu: "Yeah, but this prophecy makes note of a weapon that can stop the Fall forever. That New Moon Shadow, we collected in core essence and it turns out to be one of the key components for this weapon that can stop the Fall. The Shadow was the reverse of a certain Arcana. Which Arcana, though, is still a mystery, but its core essence is the first key component of whatever can stop the Fall permanently."

Enforcer: "Well, that doesn't help any of us."

Tunazu: "At the very least, we can reopen our organization's Weapons Development Department."

Enforcer: "Yeah, that's true, but as far as I know, the weapon that can stop the Fall requires the core essences of Shadows that represent the reverse of the following Arcana: Temperance, Devil, Tower, Sun, Moon, Star, and Judgement. We need to track down the Shadows that have these core essences or our world is doomed."

Tunazu: "You're right. We'll need to search the entire planet for this mission. We'll return here in about a year and then set up permanent shop."

* * *

**A/N: Read and Review. The Reaper, and by extension, Yu Narukami, Ryotaro Dojima, Nanako, Takaya Sakaki, Jin Shirato, and Chidori Yoshino will be appearing next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

Inaba, Yasoinaba Station, April 11th, 2011, 23:57 local time.

"Honestly, I don't know why his train is even arriving at midnight. This guy who we don't even know yet and yet somehow knows that I am here in Inaba because of my parents' jobs is personally arriving to see me. Does it strike you as, you know, rather odd, Uncle Ryotaro?" a silver-haired young man said to a police detective.

Ryotaro: "Yes, this is quite odd. He specified for us to be here at a time of night when most people would be at home getting ready for the next day. That and the fact that this guy knows where we live, Yu Narukami, makes things a bit suspicious and interesting at the same time."

Yu and Ryotaro both walked up to the main entrance of the station, which was suspiciously open. No doubt, Yu thought, it was kept open since someone would be coming at this time of night. His uncle, though, thought it suspicious that no one else was here aside from himself, Yu Narukami, and his only daughter Nanako Dojima, who was tired right now.

Yu checked the time on a station clock and it struck 0:00. Suddenly, everything assumed a sickly green color. Now Nanako was both scared and tired. The station intercom then announced, "This is Yasoinaba Station. I repeat, this is Yasoinaba Station. May all passengers on the train please grab all of their belongings before disembarking."

* * *

Meanwhile, on a black-colored train heading for Inaba. . .

A figure wearing a long black and red trench coat was busy looking at another figure wearing the same trench coat, but this figure sat down and his face was that of Takaya Sakaki. The figure looking at him had bandages covering its face and the only hole in the bandages was used for vision with a glowing yellow eye.

"Green Screen of Death, thanks to my help, you will live a long, fruitful life as an assassin. Green Screen of Death, otherwise called Takaya Sakaki, your body has been enhanced by cybernetics and robotic limbs to increase your efficiency by multiple factors. You will no longer need your suppressants or your 'Artificial Persona' as the town that we will soon enter is believed to be the gateway to the true home of the creatures known as the Shadows." the figure wearing bandages over its face said to Green Screen of Death.

Green Screen: "So what you are telling me, Black Screen, is that I will no longer need the aid of Hypnos when we arrive in town?"

Black Screen: "Indeed. Your friend and colleague Red Screen already lost her 'Artificial Persona' because of your antics about one or two years ago and now she and another colleague had to be rebuilt into cyborgs by me."

Green Screen: "No way! You seriously brought back. . . Reaper! I give you my gratitude and I will use your gifts wisely. As for Chidori and Jin, what are they doing?"

The Reaper: "They are getting ready to get off the train. You should do the same. I have business to attend to in the meantime. You and the other two Screens of Death, Red and Blue, should head to the safe-house that I prepared. It is in central Inaba, so move carefully."

The Reaper then took off, leaving Takaya to his own devices.

* * *

Back at the station platform, Yu noticed a black train coming. It then screeched to a halt as the doors opened, allowing a figure wearing a black and red trench coat to step out. Its face was covered in bandages, and the only opening in the bandages revealed a glowing yellow eye.

The figure said, "It's been a long time since I last saw you, Yu Narukami. Ah, these two people standing here are the ones you are staying with? My name is The Reaper, but you can simply call me 'Black Screen of Death.' Tell me, what happened to Chisato while I have been away?"

Ryotaro Dojima: "My wife was killed in a hit-and-run. The young girl here is my daughter, Nanako."

The Reaper: "Aw, she looks so adorable! Well, as for why my train had to arrive at midnight, the fools disembarking by another door had a few. . . complications and the next available train would have been nearly two months from now if I hadn't booked the midnight train."

Yu: "Should we get going right now?"

The Reaper: "Oh yes. We must go now. Yu, this will be quite interesting, won't it?"

Yu: "Yeah, you're right."

As the four of them packed into Ryotaro's vehicle and went to the Dojima Residence, Yu found himself answering questions from Nanako and Ryotaro about The Reaper. For the most part, The Reaper had been watching over him from a distance over the past six years, only occasionally getting close to him, which was often limited to birthdays. When they had arrived, The Reaper's stuff, which had a lot of suitcases, was loaded into a small basement.

* * *

**A/N: Read and Review. Surprised to see The Reaper acting friendly? There's more Reaper friendliness coming. Next chapter, the Mercenaries are around. As for why Takaya, Jin, and Chidori are around, all three of them have been rebuilt into cyborgs except for Takaya, who was outfitted with cybernetics instead of being completely rebuilt from scratch.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Yasogami High School, Classroom, Tuesday, April 12th, 08:29 local time.

Students were already inside chatting with each other. Some of them sat down while a few stood. They heard a door open and the students that were standing around went to their seats and sat, continuing their conversations as the homeroom teacher walked up to his desk with Yu Narukami.

Stupid-looking teacher: "Awright, shut yer traps! I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! Some standard crap first: Just because it's friggin' spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around. . . ah, ferget it. I figure you guys being pure as snow is just about as likely as 'The Simpsons' getting cancelled! I hate wasting my time, but I need to introduce this here transfer student. This sad sack has been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. Damn, I still can't forget about what happened in the science lab."

Blond-looking student: "You mean that freak accident with Chie-chan's lunch being mixed in with some reactive chemicals that had been mistaken for soy sauce?"

Morooka: "That's the one, Yosuke! Cleaning the mess caused by that took the rest of the day and even then it cost about 45,000 yen in damages."

Short-haired female student: "Ugh, I only had what could still be eaten from that and even now- Ugh! Agh! Damn it, not now!"

Morooka: "Aw, what is it now, Chie?"

Chie: "uuuuuuooooough, my stomach!"

Morooka: (SHIT!) "Get to a bathroom before your bowels explode in here! I'm not going to take the blame if it starts smelling in this room as well!"

Chie immediately ran out of the room while holding her stomach. She closed the classroom door behind her as she left.

Morooka: "Well, with that out of the way, transfer student! Tell all of us your name and be quick about it! And you girls better not think about hitting on him, he's as much of a. . . misfit here as he was in the city."

Yu: "The name's Yu Narukami, sir. Yeah, that abou-"

Morooka: "WHOA, I THINK I JUST SAW YOUR LOSER EYES GAZE OVER AT THAT GIRL SITTING OVER BY-"

Yu would not stand being cut off, even by a teacher, and yelled at Morooka, "I WILL NOT ALLOW ANYONE, NOT EVEN A TEACHER, TO INTERRUPT ME WHILE I'M SPEAKING! AND WHAT WAS THAT EARLIER?! YOU CALLING ME A LOSER?! MOROOKA-SENSEI, CALM THE HELL DOWN!" in an angry tone.

Morooka: "Well, what's you-"

Izanagi suddenly made himself visible and thrust his spear into the chair next to Morooka before the persona said, _**"DON'T. BELITTLE. MY. MASTER. OR. I. WILL. KILL. YOU!"**_ angrily.

Now he was afraid, but Morooka didn't show it. "That's it, you're on my shit list, effective immediately. Now, if you excuse me, you backstabbing, worthless, shit-eating, slud-"

Suddenly three Mercenaries in full uniform crashed into the classroom through the windows as the door closest to Yu was blasted open by a pair of Mercenaries while another pair of them kicked open the other doorway in, all seven of them aiming their weapons at Morooka.

One of the Mercenaries who came in through the windows immediately said, "Tackle him! Wellington, Tunazu, make sure no one leaves until lunch!"

As five of the Mercenaries tackled Morooka to the ground, the two that had been called 'Wellington' and 'Tunazu' took their positions by one of the doorways.

Wellington said from the doorway near Yosuke, "This doorway is secure!"

Tunazu replied from the doorway that had been blasted open, "Doorway secure!"

Mercenary: "Alright, let's drag Morokin down to the faculty office so we can press our case that he isn't fit to teach!"

Nearby mercenaries: "Hoo-rah! Enforcer knows what's best!"

Enforcer: "Right, let's get moving. We'll hear your side of things after the principal hears our case."

Enforcer and the four Mercenaries near him left the room, dragging Morooka with them.

Wellington: "Alright, you heard my boss. Nobody is suppose to leave this room until things simmer down, which probably won't happen until lunchtime, so I hope you guys have a way to entertain yourselves. A new teacher is actually supposed to be in here, but you guys got stuck with Morokin due to bureaucratic crap slowing things down."

Yu thought to himself, "_Well, where am I supposed to sit?_" as he scanned the rooms for an empty seat. A male student near the front row immediately got up and shifted down next to where Chie sat earlier. The student thought to himself as he did that, "_There is no way I'm going to be able to compete with that Narukami kid for Yukiko's attention! I better find a new seat._" Having picked up on what had happened, Yu sat down next to a girl with black hair.

Black-haired girl: "Hello, Narukami-kun. My name's Yukiko Amagi, but you can just call me Yukiko."

Yu: "Okay, it's nice to meet you as well, Yukiko."

The rest of the morning was very uneventful, and lunch was done pretty quickly, but when lunch was over, Yu saw The Reaper walk into the classroom and stand where Morooka had been earlier while Chie snuck back into the classroom via the other doorway.

The Reaper: "Hello everyone. Sorry for what happened earlier today, but you know how bureaucracy tends to get in the way of progress. Anyway, my name is The Reaper and I will be teaching your homeroom instead of Morooka for this year. The subject that I will be teaching is Mythology. As such, with each week we will study a different culture's mythology starting with Japanese Mythology and heading onwards."

The Reaper rambled on and on until the final bell of the day rang. "Well, normal lectures start tomorrow." As The Reaper got his stuff ready, the intercom came on.

"Attention, all teachers. Please report to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice." a female staff member said over the intercom before it powered down. "Alright, you heard what they said. You guys can't leave until you hear otherwise." The Reaper said before he left.

The instant he left, the classroom was rife with chatter. Only a few minutes later police sirens were heard and got louder as the intercom buzzed to life again with the following message as the chatter died down: "Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district and police officers have been dispatched throughout the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Please head directly home."

Immediately after it ended, the chatter picked right back up as students left. Chie walked with Yukiko near Yu's desk and asked him, "Hey, are you going home by yourself? Why don't you come with us? Oh, I almost forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka."

Yu: "Sure."

Chie: "Alright. Over here is Yukiko Amagi. I already noticed that you sit next to her when I came back from the bathroom."

Yukiko: "Yeah, we've already met, but nice to meet you. I'm sorry that this is so sudden."

Chie: "C'mon, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I've got no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff. That's all."

Yukiko then said, "On another note, Yosuke gave me this during Lunch and told me to give it to you." as she handed Chie a DVD case.

Chie opened it and looked inside. "What the hell? It's completely cracked! Where is he?!" she said.

Yu: "He mentioned that he had to head to the Central Shopping District after school in class. Something about protection fees being late."

Chie: "You mean he already left?!"

Yu: "Yep."

Chie immediately yelled, "Dammit!" before she took off. Yu and Yukiko didn't see her until about seven minutes later in the Central Shopping District, where they found her supporting Yosuke in front of a rough-looking young man. Yosuke was completely beat up and had a bloody nose.

Rough-looking young man: "And the two of you need to cough up the protection fees by the end of next week or Yosuke's going to have more than just a few broken bones! You got that? Now get the hell out of my sight!"

The four of them immediately left. Yukiko then asked, "Who was that guy?"

Yosuke: "That guy is Arisato Natazaka. He's a former Yakuza member. Chie, you remember why I gave the DVD to Yukiko? Well, I was running late on protection fees for the Junes Department Store and he said for me to come to him after school. After I reached him, I then mentioned my mistake with your 'Trial of the Dragon' DVD with him and that's what caused him to break a few bones in my body. I know I deserved it, but if it was you, you would have went for the kill."

Chie: "You're right. No wonder you're all bloody and beat up right now."

As they walked home, they chatted a bit before separating.

* * *

Several hours later, Dojima Residence, Yu:'s room, 11:33 local time.

The Reaper was on a weirdly-shaped cell phone, talking to someone. "Okay. Sure. Whoa, slow down, Amagi! You certain about this?"

"Yeah. Recently, I've noticed that when the time was midnight, my wife and everyone else at the Inn except for myself and my daughter Yukiko transformed into coffins while this green-ish color permeated everything!" someone called 'Amagi' frantically said on the other end.

"Calm down, Amagi. Do you remember experiencing this phenomenon anytime before?" the Reaper calmly asked.

"No."

"Then it is obvious that your body has not adjusted to it yet. I will be arriving with another student who can experience this phenomenon during it. He personally had to feel it when my train arrived at midnight last night or I would have doubted that I was in the right town."

"Alright. I'll see you and the student in question at the Inn. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

The Reaper then hung up before he said to Yu, "We must head to the Amagi Inn tonight, Narukami. Two others can experience what occurred when I arrived in town and I will have to speak with one of them."

Yu: "Okay."

The Reaper: "Nanako should be fast asleep right now. It is only natural since she is only around six years of age, but it will become an inconvenience later when midnight comes."

Yu asked, "Why?"

The Reaper: "You'll see soon enough."

It barely took twenty-five minutes, but Yu and The Reaper were now near the Amagi Inn. Mercenaries were nearby, and they were all on patrol for something.

Ghost Force HQ: "Be advised, Enforcer, the Dark Hour is approaching."

Enforcer: "Understood."

Enforcer's watch now read 0:00 and the Dark Hour came.

Yu: "Is this what you mentioned earlier?'

The Reaper: "Yes. This is a time period that sits in between one day and the next: The Dark Hour. Most people can't experience it."

Both Yu Narukami and The Reaper walked up to the front door of the Amagi Inn unopposed by the mercenaries since they just observed the two of them. At the reception desk was a man who appeared to be in his fifties.

The Reaper: "I have arrived, Hideki Amagi."

Hideki: "Yes you have, Mr. Reaper. I suppose that young man with you is the student who can also experience what's going on now."

The Reaper: "Yes. Now where is Yukiko? Your daughter and this Yu Narukami person with me happen to be students in my Mythology class at Yasogami High."

Yu then noticed someone slowly walking towards them out of a hallway and said, "Huh? Who is that? It's difficult to tell who it is because it's so dark in here."

The Reaper: "Wait a minute. I can recognize that person. It's Yukiko. Come on, we don't bite."

Yukiko walked towards them and asked, "Are these the people you were expecting?"

Hideki: "Yes, Yukiko."

The Reaper: "I'm sure you already know, but since we just met in a non-professional situation, I will go through introductions again. My name is The Reaper."

Yu: "Hello. I am Yu Narukami."

Yukiko: "Hello. It's nice to meet both of you."

The Reaper then pulled a briefcase out of nowhere and opened it after setting it on a nearby table. Inside were various documents and a gun-like object. "That thing will be discussed another time, but as for this phenomenon, according to these documents made by the Kirijo Group, it is called the Dark Hour."

* * *

**A/N: Read and Review. I have set up a poll on my profile because I need to decide on the name of Persona 3's Male Protagonist. In this story and two others, he will be a major character and I can't decide between his Canon Name Makoto Yuuki and his Fan-given Name Minato Arisato. Please vote your choice in the poll, which will close on November 23.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

_A machine thrice the size of a normal human stood before Kunino-Sagiri, ready to attack. It is a heavily armed war machine equipped with a missile launcher and Chain-gun on the back, energy chainsaw currently erect and open on the right arm, a nuke mortar hidden inside the left arm, knee-mounted flamethrowers, and an energy shield that protected the mech from harm. This was the Mercenaries' pride and joy: the NKO-4000 "Death Burner" war mech._

_Inside, the pilot, a soldier only known as Enforcer said to his nearby allies, _"Go. Escape from here. I'll handle this thing."

_Enforcer's nearest ally, a silver-haired teenager by the name of Yu Narukami, said to him, _"Understood. Everyone, we must flee from here. Enforcer will cover our escape and we will return to Inaba."

_The others agree and take off with Yu while Enforcer prevents Kunino-Sagiri from following with chain-gun fire._

"No! You can't! I won't let you leave with her! I must save her!"_ Kunino-Sagiri pleaded with Enforcer._

"You tried to 'save' three others and managed to get two of them into mortal peril instead of safety. We kept the idol girl safe because we caught on to the true suspect's motives before he could get to the Tofu Shop in town. We had warned you not to trust Tohru Adachi and you obeyed us for the first three victims after Konishi Saki, but after the Mitsuo Kubo situation, you ignored our warning and ended up as an unwitting accomplice in his plan. The two you had got into mortal peril were Shirogane Naoto and Konishi Saki. Saki was understandable since you had merely warned her of what was happening and that she was in danger, but Naoto had a plan to expose Adachi as the one who threw the victims into this fog-ridden world. You had unintentionally put a wrench in that plan by throwing her into this world."_ Enforcer coldly replied as his mech hurt the Shadow with its energy chainsaw._

"You. . . You. . . You're right. I should have never contacted him after that situation with the Mitsuo kid. I must flee as well. Destroy this Shadow in my stead. I am not yet ready to face my true self."_ Taro Namatame said before forcing himself out of Kunino-Sagiri and escaping._

"This Shadow is not your repressed feelings, but a part of something far more mysterious, Namatame. Your own Shadow has yet to reveal its true face."_ Enforcer said before opening the mech's left arm and firing the nuke mortar's projectile at Kunino-Sagiri, enveloping the Shadow in a nuclear explosion that the Death Burner had to outrun before it was safe. When the explosion stopped, Enforcer looked back and saw a smouldering crater where the entrance to the unnatural reality called 'Heaven' had once stood._

* * *

Mercenaries of Fortune Chapter 4

The Amagi Inn, Reception area, the Dark Hour local time.

Hideki: "The Dark Hour?! I figured that would be a fitting name for this phenomenon."

The Reaper: "Normal people transmogrify into coffins during it, but those who can summon something called a 'Persona' retain their human form during the Dark Hour. So far right now, those mercenaries outside, you, Yukiko, Yu Narukami, Ryotaro Dojima and his daughter Nanako, some former high school students from Iwatodai City, and I are the only ones alive who can retain their normal form during this phenomenon."

A mercenary came in and said in a British accent, "Two of my buddies are on their way from the Police Station. They just found Saki Konishi unconscious inside one of the interrogation rooms."

Yu: "And who are you again?"

Mercenary: "I guess I didn't bloody explain earlier today that I have a British accent. Name's Wellington."

Wellington got out of the doorway and positioned himself on a wall as two more mercenaries came in and set down the unconscious Saki on the floor.

Wellington: "Tunazu, Enforcer, any idea on her condition?"

Enforcer: "Yeah. She's unconscious, but I can't exactly pinpoint how it happened."

The Reaper: "I'll handle this."

The Reaper then put a hand on Saki's head for a few moments before pulling it back. "She's just exhausted and recovering from something traumatic."

Tunazu: "Well, that's a relief. She was lucky to have not been preyed on since right now it's the Dark Hour."

Enforcer: "Hideki, Yukiko, Yu, do any of you know what Shadows are?"

They nodded in disagreement. "Well, Shadows are monsters spawned from human emotion that for some strange reason only appear during the Dark Hour and at 2300 hours each day before the Dark Hour comes exactly at midnight. It was supposed to end about a year ago when the world should have ended, but something happened and the world is still going. We were in this area two years ago and now we've just recently set up permanent shop in the vicinity." Enforcer explained.

Tunazu: "How about you explain what our mission is, Wellington?"

Wellington: "What we are doing here is collecting the Core Essences of certain Shadows in order to end what currently stands as a permanent threat to our world's existence: The Fall."

Hideki: "What is this 'Fall,' Wellington?"

Wellington: "The Fall is when the Night Queen, Nyx, destroys this world. In order to stop the fall, Nyx must be destroyed. To do so, we are collecting the Core Essences of Shadows that represent the reverse of the following Major Arcana: Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Sun, Moon, and Judgement. So far right now, we only have the Core Essences from Shadows that represented the reverse of the Temperance and the Star Arcana. We took down Star back in this area about two years ago while Temperance was defeated in South America seven months later."

Yu: "So that means the only components left are. . ."

Enforcer: "Yes. The only Core Essences left unextracted from the corpses of their Shadows are Devil, Tower, Sun, Moon, and Judgement."

Saki then stirred before she awoke. "Where am I?" she asked.

Wellington: "This is the Amagi Inn. We found you unconscious at the Police Department earlier."

The mercenaries then explained what the Dark Hour was to Saki. She was surprised to hear this information, but she listened to it.

Enforcer: "Alright, back to the topic on Shadows. These things only feed on the minds of humans, leaving them helpless and vulnerable husks that are unable to care for themselves unless the local nest has been intruded into."

Hideki then said, "I guess Shadows do more than just eating the minds of their victims if one did intrude on their nest."

Enforcer: "Correct. The Shadows will go absolutely bat-shit insane if a human intrudes upon their local nest and they will chase and attempt to kill the intruder before they calm down."

Yu: "Then the only reason that the TV announcer was found dead on an antenna-"

Tunazu: "-Is that the Shadows had gotten to her when she disappeared and, believing her to have intruded on their local nest, murdered Mayumi Yamano in one of their rages."

Wellington: "Exactly, and the police can't figure out anything that happens during the Dark Hour because they are all hiding inside of their coffins. Essentially, we're on our own."

The Reaper: "Well then, we should wrap things up for now. Hideki, I will be seeing you when the next Dark Hour comes."

Hideki: "Agreed."

Yu: "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Amagi."

Hideki: "It sure was nice meeting you as well, Yu Narukami. You could either take this as a joke or take it seriously, but I think that you would be a great choice for Yukiko. She's already rejected or ignored many of the local guys."

Yukiko: "Father. . . ah, I feel tired right now. I'll see you in class, Yu-kun and Reaper-sensei."

Yukiko then left the room. The mercenaries took off with Yu and the Reaper only seconds later.

* * *

Junes Department Store, Food Court, Wednesday, April 13,14:35 local time.

Yu Narukami, Chie Satonaka, and The Reaper were sitting at a table since Yosuke was taking their order.

"THIS is the cheap place you were talking about earlier. . . ? They don't have grilled steak here." Chie exclaimed as Yosuke came with the meal.

"Yeah, well, once you hopped in on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans." Yosuke calmly replied.

Chie: "Still, that's no reason to take us to your place."

"Dude, this isn't my place or anything." Yosuke replied calmly again.

Yu: "What's going on?"

The Reaper: "Huh?"

Yosuke: "Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh? I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it. So my entire family came out here."

Yu: "I'm here because of my parents' occupations taking them overseas."

The Reaper: "And I found myself taking a teaching job at Yasogami High School this year."

Yosuke then gave Yu and The Reaper a soda before he said, "Here, this is to welcome you to town." before his eyes darted to Chie and added, "Satonaka, yours is on me too."

Chie: "Yeah, I know."

As the four of them toasted, at another table, Wellington said to Tunazu, "Tunazu, we'll need to keep an eye on that Narukami kid and that Reaper."

Tunazu replied in an obviously Japanese accent, "Sure can do, comrade Wellington."

While the non-mercenaries engaged in conversation, Tunazu got a call from HQ that said, "All personnel, report to our field base. We've got some Intel regarding Shadow movement in your area!"

Wellington: "What was that just now?"

Tunazu: "We're needed back at the base, Wellington. We can surveillance these people later!"

Wellington: "Okay then, let's go!"

The two Ghost Force soldiers left.

* * *

Ghost Force 969 Field Base Juliet-Alpha-six-niner, Command Center, three miles east of Inaba, 17:03 local time.

Enforcer: "Well, this is not something that we had expected."

Tunazu: "What?!"

Enforcer: "Judging by how erratic the Shadows are acting in Inaba these past few days, I say that we've found a nest somewhere in town. The only question is where is it?"

Wellington: "Yeah. We'll need to station ourselves near Yasogami High because that is a probable location for the Shadows to hide their nest."

Aiko: "True, but at the same time, the Junes Department Store is another likely location."

Enforcer: "Smart call, Aiko. Anyways, in lieu of recent events and accessing a classified section of your profile, the higher ups decided to honorably discharge you starting on Yasogami High's summer break. Your service to the Ghosts has been great, but it seems that a shard of the past, specifically your past, holds much more importance."

Aiko: "You mean. . ."

Enforcer: "Yes. The higher ups are sure that your childhood friend has been found."

"Where is he?" Aiko asked as she took her helmet off to reveal her auburn hair.

Enforcer: "Iwatodai City area. Unfortunately, he can't move on his own, so he'll be coming by train. It will arrive on the 28th of this month."

* * *

Yasogami High School gates, 23:59 local time.

Enforcer: "Well, no Shadows whatsoever in town. I have a feeling that our answer will only show itself during the Dark Hour."

Wellington: "You got that right."

Suddenly the Dark Hour came. As it did, a structure rose and twisted out from beneath Yasogami High School and only when it stopped rising did it cease twisting.

Enforcer: "Tartarus. The Greek name of the land of the dead. HQ, you getting this?"

Ghost Force HQ: "Yeah. Shadows are crawling everywhere inside of that tower and since dedicated support is over in South America right now, we won't be able to explore that nest until May at the earliest. Focus on locating where the true home of those things is. HQ out."

* * *

**A/N: Read and Review.**


End file.
